Article of manufacture



Filed b. 24, 1940 numm- H rwf'mfrfrfffi w "NIMH Patented ct. 3l, QM

.ARTICLE or MANUrAcTUan Theodore Benzlnger, Butalo,.N. Y., assignorto E.l. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation ofDelaware Application February 24, '1940, Serial No. 320,617

5 Claims. (Cl. 21S-38) This invention relates to shrinkable, non-fibroussecondary closure devices,l especially regenerated cellulose and vlikebands adapted, upon shrinking. to tightly lt over and satisfactorilyseal the primary closure to a bottle. More particularly it appertains tobands suited for easy removal (without the aid of any instrument)l frombottle tops and'their primary closures.

Shrinkable, non-fibrous secondary closures such as thimble-shaped capsand tube-shaped bands for bottles have been known and used for years.-The bands are cheaper to manufacture and allow all or a part of the topof the primary closure to be exposed. They provide an attractivedecoration to the container, a deterrent against tampering with thecontents thereof, and when suitablypigmented, an effective backgroundfor y printed matter (advertising, etc.)

To seal a bottlethe band in gel (hydrated) form, is placed over thebottle top (the primary closure being in place) and allowed to dry TheAprimary closure.

Due to their non-fibrous character, the dried pellicles are extremelytough (in somecases being almost of a horny nature). It is almost neverpossible to puncture them with a nager-nail, and due to the tightengagement between the pellicles and the bottles it is dicult to find aplace where they can be grasped in order to pull them oi.

A still further dimcuity in shrunk cellulosic closure removal is foundin the specic use oi' these bands in the distilled alcoholic liquor eld.In some cases the law requires, that part of the government stamp remainon the bottle until the contents are consumed. These stamps do notadhere well to the bottle in the first place,.and

which militate against the useful life of the band.

By dry splitting," as used in this art, is meant the splitting o-rtearing of the band during storage or handling. These bands when driedhave internal strains and have a tearing grain running lengthwise. Whileit is difllcult to start a tear, once a tear is started it will proceedvery easily (much as happens with a crack in a piece of glass). A nickor other sharp deviation from a straight line in the edge of 'a band isknown to be a common cause of dry splitting.

This invention has for an object the provision of a non-fibrous,shrinkable, pellicular, secondary closure, capable oi lbeing tightlyshrunk into contact witha bottle top and its primary closure, andcapable of having its top portion readily and easily removed, after suchshrinkage, without detriment to the portion remaining on the bottleneck. Another object was to provide a regenerated cellulose secondaryclosure band which could easily be removed after being shrunk intoposition by drying, .Another object was to provide a nonbrouashrinkable. pellicular cellulosic bottle closure capable of being shrunkinto close contact with a bottle top Without splitting, and capable, inits dry, shrunk state, of being readily removed without the use of anyimplement. Another object was to provide a regenerated cellulosicband-capable of being shrunk over a bottle top and its yprimary closureto tightly seal the same, and capable of being torn by hand to permitseparation of the bottle and primary closure (to permit access to thebottle contents) since the bottles are frequently handled with wet handsduring and' after the original opening, it is of the bottle, and leavingenough oi the band inposition to retain the stamp in place.

Various solutions of the problem set out above have heretofore beenlproposed, but up to the present time no scheme or arrangement has 'beendeveloped which solved the problems satisfactorily from a coststandpoint.

Most of the heretofore proposed schemes for easy removal which involved'special configurations for the band have been unsatisfactory since vthey give rise to "dry splitting or other detecte without the aid ot anyexternal device, and without disturbing a revenue stamp retainingportion. A still further obiect was to provide a cellulosicband closurecapable of satisfactorily and emciently performing its intended functionup to the moment of willful removal', and ca pable oi being easily tornaway as a whole or in part, when desired. A general advance in the art,and other objects which will appear hereinafter, are also` contemplated.

It has now been found that if a line or series ol slots (rounded endoblong periorations) lying end-to-end be made around a gel band, thatthe objects oi the present invention are accomplished, and that thedimculties o the prior art and the previous proposals, are overcome'.

From 'the following ami-muon, in which is disclosed certain embodimentsof the invention ,as well as details o what is believed to be the bestmode for carrying out the invention, it will be apparent how theforegoing objects and relatedends are accomplished.

The written description is. ampliiled bythe accompanying drawing', inwhich:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a secondary' closure (in gel form)ofthe present invention. .In this view certain dimensions of thesecondary closure are exaggerated to more clearly bring out itsfeatures;

Figure 2 is Aan elevation view of aV secondary closure of` the presentinvention (in gel condition) ready to be placed in position on a bottletop:

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a bottle top and its primary closure,having the gel secondary closure of Figure 2 in position thereon;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a bottle top and its primary closuresealed with a secondary closure of Figure 2. In this gure the secondaryclosure is shrunk into position over the bottle top and its primaryclosure. The primary closure is of the stopper type, and a revenue stampis shown underneath the .secondary closure;

Figure 5 is an elevation view of the bottle top shown in Figure 4 afterremovalof the primary closure and the top part of the secondary closureand revenue stamp;

Figure 6 is an outline view showing the form taken by perforations ofvarious shapes upon As a result the component parts of the secondaryclosure retain portions oi.' the revenue stamp both on the cap and onthe bottle.

A metal screw cap primary bottle'closure 19. having thereover a shrunkenband 1l, is shown in Figure 7. The row of perforations is shown at 14,Twisting the band apart at the line of perforations causes part of theband to remain onV trated at l1 in Figure 7.

drying. The gel shape isvshown at the left of the dotted lines, and thedry shape at the right;

Figure 7 is an elevation view of a bottle having a metal primary closure(screw cap) and a secondary closure. Invthis view the upper edge of thesecondary closure is serrated to Aprovide tabs (for grasping with thefingers); and

Figure 8 is an elevation view of a bottle having a long skirted moldedscrew cap primary closure and a secondary closure of the type shown inFigure 1.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

tion changes shape upon drying, assuming the shape shown at l4d inFigure 6.

A bottle 31 bearing a revenue stamp 38 over its neck and primary closure(in this case a wood topped cork) 39 is shown in Figure 3. The line ofperforations in the gel bandis positioned at the junction of the woodstopper 39 and the bottle top. The top I1 of the band may be flush with,or above or below, the, top of the primary closure after drying, asdesired. As shown in Figure 4, it is flush. 'g In Figure '1 it is above,and in Figure 8, below. l

The intended manner of utilizing the present invention is to hold thebottle in one hand while twisting the bottle closure with the otherhand, or vice versa. or both. As a result of such an action, the band issevered along the line of perforations.

A recent type of primary bottle closure designed for more convenienthandling is illustrated at 89 in Figure 8. This primary closure, whichfor convenience may be called aA longskirted cap, is usuallymanufactured in molded plastic, and is threaded to be screwed on to thebottle top. A common length for such caps is I 11% inches. Theembodiment illustrated had an outside bottomjdiameter of 1% inches. Thedried band 8l may be severed along the line of perforations 84 bytwisting the parts above and be- "low the line of perforations inopposite directions.

If a circular hole about '1% inch in diameter,

`1 such as that illustrated at 1.0 (Figure '1) is placed Example I `oi!a suitable size liquor bottle, closed with a molded screw cap and sealedwith a revenue stamp. The band was positioned so that the line'ofperforations was on the junction between the edge of the cap and theneck of the bottle.

The resulting package was set aside to dry, whereupon the band shrankand snugly itted the container. The perforations became elliptical oroval-shaped upon drying. Such an oval shape is illustrated in Figure 6.It was found that such a band endured handling and storage well, andeven though the humidity at times became low, there was no drysplitting." It was found, also, that the seal could be broken bytwisting the cap (the primary closure) in the usual manner with the handwhile holding the bottle stationary. The upper portions of the band cameaway with the cap while the lower portion remained on the bottle,safeguarding the ends of the revenue stamp. The retained portion isillustrated in Figure 5. 'Ihe torn edge of the lower portion of the bandbeing below the pouring edge of the bottle did not interfere with theremoval of the contents thereof.

Example 1I A regenerated cellulose gel band having a iiat width ofmillimeters was perforated with a Vseries of perforations composed ofrounded end Closures.

ample I, and gave the-same results upon drying. The dried band isillustrated in Figure 4.

Example III- made, the thickness of the band, vthe propane were 0.044inch in width. An intervening space ofinch was allowed between theperforations. The band having this design of perforation` was applied toa bottle in the manner described in Example I, and gave similar results.l

Example IV A 4regenerated cellulose gel band having a ilat width of 54millimeters was perforated with a n series of perforations of the typeillustrated in Figure 1. The perforations were 1A, inch in length withan intervening space of if inch. The

perforations were 0.044 inchV in width atv the widest part. The band wasslipped over a suitably sized liquor bottle closed with a long-skirted,molded screw cap and carrying a revenue stamp. The band shrank and driedsnugly around the neck of-thefbottle and primaryclosure in the mannerillustrated in Figure 8.

A long-skirted screw cap provides a better grip so that more force maybe applied in breaking the band alongA the line of perforation. Itfollows that bands designed for this type of cap need not be perforatedto the usual extent, and this in turn gives added insurance against drysplitting. In order that adequate resistance to the twisting forceapplied to the primary closure may be furnished, it is necessary thatthe lportion of the gel band below the line of perforation should be ofsufcient area to well engage or satisfactorily grip the bottle neck.

Other designs for perforations in thewet, un'- shrunken eel band whichhave been found to be fairly satisfactory are illustrated in Figure 6.

' They comprise round holes joined by a slit, tear drop cut-outs joinedby a slit and hour-glassshaped perforations lying lengthwise around theband. The individual gel perforations are shown at t-g, -g and t-y,respectively. The corresponding dry perforations are indicated attil-41,654 and {iB-d.

The invention is satisfactorily used with various kinds of primarybottle and like container Corks, wood-topped Stoppers, molded plasticscrew caps and metallic screw caps are the type most commonlyencountered. The sec ondary closures of the present invention operatevery satisfactorily with each of these types.

The 'bands may be formed of materials other than regenerated cellulose,for example, cellulose esters and ethers. While the non-fibrouscellulosic pellicles are the most-common type, in some humidities towhich the package will be exposed, the amount of leverage afforded bythe particular primary closure, the size of the band with respect to thesize of the bottle. etc.

In general,l for a gel regenerated cellulose band in the neighborhood of0.017 of an inch in thickness, a perforation of 'A inch to 5/; inch inlong dimension, with an intervening space of 11s inch to 1A; inch, ispreferred. vSuch a band has a thickness of approximately 0.004 to 0.005inch in the dry state. Perforations of the rounded end oblong style 1/8by inch with corresponding spacing, have been used.

It has been convenient to describe the inven-I tion in terms ofsecondary closures for bottles containing distilled liquor, but it is tobe understood that the invention is equally applicable to many othertypes of packages presenting the same or related problems.

Although the bands may be manufactured by various procedures. they areusually made by c'utting short sections from continuous lengths ofregenerated cellulose tubes. The manufacture of such tubes is describedin detail in U. S. A.

Patent No. 2,141,776 (Vautier and Fays). The cutting of such tubes intobands is described in,

U. S. A. Patent No. 1,647,489.

The most convenientway of perorating the bands is to punch through twothicknesses of the same while it is in flat or collapsed condition. l

The bands may be suitably decorated by pigmentation and printing.vTypical procedures are described in U. S. A. Patents Nos. 2,141,744(Evans) and 1,997,769 (Fletcher).

The primary purpose of this invention was to design a secondary closureband which could be opened by twisting, and the specific description 0was made on 'that basis, but it should be noted that 'the line ofperforations in a dried band of this'invention will also serve as a tearline. A row of circular holes will not serve as a tear line. With thebands oi this invention a tear can be made from one edge to the line ofperforations and continued circumferentially around that line. Forexample, one can take hold of one of the serration tabs at the top ofthe band of Figure 7, and by pulling it, easily start a'tear that can becontinued down to the line l0, and if the tear is then directed aroundthe neck `of the bottle, it will continue along the aforementioned line'H4 (or any other tear'line present in the band), with the result thataccess to the contents of i the bottle is easily gained andthe" lower`porinstances pellicular bands formed of non-cellulosic materials such asgelatin, casein and the like, may be used. Lowly etheried (up to one molof substitution per glucose unit of the cellulose), alkyl and hydroxyalkyl celluloses such as low substituted ethyl (and methyl) celluloseand low substituted glycol cellulose, are quite satisfactory. The sameis true of cellulose acetate.

For convenience the invention has been described in terms of bands andperforations of particular sizes. Deviation from these sizes is tion ofthe government stamp is still firmly secured to the bottle by means ofthat portion of the band below the line of tear. Similarly, by breakingout a tab from the hole l0, as previously described, a tear may bemadeup to the line of perforations.

With the present invention the band may be ruptured near the junction ofthe bottle and its primary closure by means of a twist, as in the usualact of unscrewing the primary closure.

permissible, depending upon such. variables as the particular substanceof which the band is Asa result, access to the contents of the bottle issimple and easy. Perforations of the design and dimensions describedabove are resistant to dry splitting during storage and handling. A

portion of the band remains in place to provide a safeguard in retaininga portion of the revenue stamp as long as desired. Animportantadvantageof the present invention lies in the fact that the perforationof the gel band adds only perforations ofthe secondary closure being ofpleasing and regulardesign and neatly arranged around the band. add tothe attractiveness thereof.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to beunderstood thatthis invention is not limited to the specic embodimentsthereof exi cept as deiined in the appended claims.

1. In combination, a. container having an open top with a closuretherefor, and an' open tube of regenerated cellulose disposed on thecontainer, said tube` overlying the adjoining portions of the containerand its closure, and having a ring of oblong perforations lyingend-toend thereabout.

2. The combination comprising a bottle, a primary closure therefor, anda secondary closure comprising a dry tough regenerated cellulosepellicular sleeve occupying a position about adjacent portions of thebottle and its primary closure,A thesleeve being maintained in positionby being 4tightly stretched in the manner resulting from being dried insaid position, and a line of oval perforationsextending end-to-endaround the said sleeve near the junction of the bottle and primaryclosure. 3. The combination comprising a bottle, a primary closuretherefor and a secondary closure comprising a tough regeneratedcellulose pellicular sleeve occupying a position about adjacent portionsof the bottle and its primary closure, the sleeve Vbeing maintained inposition by` being tightly stretched in the manner resulting* from beingdried in said position, and' having a ring `oi elongated perforationslying end-to-end about the'sleeve at the junction of the bottle neck andprimary closure. f

4. A shrinkable secondary closure consisting of a band of gelregenerated cellulose having a circumferential line of perorations, saidperforations being oblong in shape but having rounded endsand beingpositioned end-tO-end in the line around the band, said perforationsbeing 1% inch in length, 0.044 of an inch wide, and spaced if of an inchfrom each other.

5 The combination comprising a bottle, a primary closure therefor, and asecondary closure comprising a dry, tough regenerated cellulosepellicular sleeve occupying a position about adjacent vportions 'of thebottle and its primary closure, the sleeve being maintained in positionby being tightly stretched in the manner resulting from being dried insaid position, and a line of oval perforations extending end-toendaround the said sleeve near the junction of the bottle and primaryclosure, the said perforationsv being of the shape resulting from dryinga gel sleeve having rounded end oblong cutouts.

.THEODORE BENZINGER.

